Alternate Reality
by Irihi B.W
Summary: His memory loss wasn't just an accident, but carefully and lovingly planned to the smallest, most painful detail. /MMZ oneshot/


Zero's mission was clear: exterminate Copy X for the sake of the Resistance, and ultimately, all of Neo Arcadia. It didn't matter what the four Guardians had sputtered before he beat them to near death. It didn't matter what the human riots on the news said about the Resistance or their leader, Ciel. What mattered was saving his best friend's last dream, last attempt to unify the Reploid and human populations.

X had come to Zero personally, in the form of a Cyber Elf. From him, Zero's incomplete or lost memories were filled: Zero had sealed himself away in fear of causing another war, leaving X to sort out the world. Although X showed some bitterness, he nonetheless learned to forgive during the century long sleep. All Zero remembered, honestly, was X's aghast face before falling asleep.

Liberating his city was the _least _Zero could do for his abandonment of X.

Before he was given missions, both Ciel and X had warned him that the enemy would try to poison his mind. Zero didn't really care for Ciel, as he didn't hold her in near high enough regard as X, but he took X's warning to heart. And attempt to poison him they did... each Guardian demanded to know why the hero of the Elf Wars now fought against humans. Why such a revered Reploid would go Maverick? Didn't he remember?

Zero remembered all he needed to remember. X was his best friend, and he left him to clean up the world. And now, X was trapped, only able to exist as a paltry Cyber Elf because of him. Zero had to free his city, and maybe then, the way to free X would be made clear...

Zero soared through the tasks given to him, defeated every enemy set before him with the determination of a madman... a Maverick, even. But Mavericks aimed to harm, Zero strove to protect, to save.

Finally it was time to face Copy X himself, and Ciel had given him the truth: she had constructed him to replace X when the original went missing. X confirmed her confession, citing his imprisonment and that he helped her make the copy, hoping it would lead Neo Arcadia until he was free... but then Copy X went Maverick. And it all fell apart...

"_Terminate that copy of me,_" X had said, venom in his voice, enough to make even Zero in all of his amnesiac state cringe. "_Destroy him with no mercy, Zero!_"

Zero swore he would. Promised on his own functioning he would succeed. X had smiled in such a way Zero almost felt better for what he had done.

Zero scaled Neo Arcadia's tower, once more having to deal with the Guardians. Again when defeated they beseeched him, cursed him... Phantom even sacrificed himself to stop him. All Zero could think was, _why die for a cheap fake? The true X would never..._

Copy X wasn't all Zero was told he was. Zero imagined, despite being the perfect copy of X, Copy X would just exude evil from himself. That he would somehow twist X's peaceful face into that of a deranged heretic. But standing across from him, behind the remaining Guardians, Copy X stood tall and proud like Zero remembered X did. Even his glare was devoid of evil and hate... all he had in his eyes was pity.

"You returned to the world the very thing you went to sleep to avoid," Copy X declared. "A Maverick... Zero, I may be a copy and you may have been lied to, but I am not your enemy. I am an ally, if you would put down your arms!"

"You terminate innocent Reploids on a whim," Zero growled. "You rule the humans with fear. A justice bought with blood isn't justice at all."

He had to fight them all, the Guardians and Copy X. Due to their previous injuries, the Guardians were easily destroyed... each one dying in a different fashion before they exploded. Leviathan had sobbed in desperation, Fefnir had screamed in rage... Harpuia fell to his knees and glared at Zero before he, too, perished.

Copy X fared the best, and matched Zero blow for blow. For each strike Zero's saber landed on him, the red Reploid suffered a shot. It was like fighting the true X, almost. Except Copy X was not as experienced, and Zero's final feint proved that.

Copy X stumbled back, holding the sparking shoulder where his canon arm once was. Said arm was in Zero's hand, and with a cold look, the blond Reploid crushed it.

"You're a fool!" Copy X cried, his body glowing as he tried to summon the last ounce of strength he had. "This 'Resistance'... a farce! Open your eyes, remember the truth!"

"I remember perfectly fine," Zero snarled. "I sinned against my own best friend... so many damn times... it's time I made up for it!"

"Your best friend died over a century ago!"

That was the final straw. Zero didn't give Copy X time to complete his transformation, charging at the affront with a scream of rage. Copy X tried to jump back, to dodge, but his systems were too clogged; Zero swung at his neck, and Copy X's head went flying as his body slumped to the ground, offline.

Zero waited for it to explode, but it merely smoked from all the damage. Confused, he looked to where the head landed. Its eyes were gray from being offline, and the blood rushed out of it in gushes. Zero kicked the body over onto its back, and noticed the glow of the central armor jewel.

Zero flicked it open, and inside rested what seemed to be... a Cyber Elf?

"_You did it._"

Zero jerked way from the beheaded body, whirling around to see the familiar shimmering form. "X!"

X was smiling, but it seemed off to Zero. "_You did wonderfully Zero... as you always do. You never disappoint,_" he floated toward the body, kneeling next to it and reaching inside.

"What is that, X?" Zero asked.

"_A baby Elf,_" X explained. "_The second half of the key to my cell. Copy X was built to safeguard it from me._"

Zero blinked. "What? But he was built to rule in your stead when you were captured. Ciel had said..."

X laughed, and Zero took a slow step back at the dark sound. "_Ciel is dead, Zero! That girl that called herself that? Ciel's Reploid double, meant to take her place should Ciel be in danger. Designed to trick radars into reading human signs from her. Instead she replaced our beloved scientist, whose ancestor had been the one to design the prison to seal me!_" X touched the baby Elf, and its body began to glow a light blue as it slowly awakened.

Zero's confusion was palpable. "X, I... I don't understand."

X rose to his feet, a wide grin on his face. "_I was so sick of this world, Zero... after the Elf Wars, I was so disgusted with it. All I did for the humans, all I did for my fellow Reploids... they threw it in my face. You were there! You saw them blame me... __**me**__ for the Elf Wars! We made Mother Elf from __**your**__ carcass and yet I am blamed!_"

Zero took another step back as X stepped forward, the Cyber Elf suddenly seeming so much more intimidating. "_I wasn't going to let myself get scraped because I did all I could and it wasn't good enough. It wasn't my fault, and yet I had to shoulder the blame? I'm so tired of being the scapegoat Zero... and I thought you understood! But the moment I told you I was going to punish them you turned against me... tricked me into that prison with Dark Elf. Tricked me and threw me into that sealing device!_"

Suddenly X's hand went through Zero's chest, and Zero grunted as pain blossomed from his core. X's hand closed around something, but there was no way he could touch Zero's physical central core! What was going on? X's hand tightened on whatever it was, and Zero could help the cry of intense pain.

"_You were my best friend, but you sold me out._" X growled. "_My hate gave me the power to manifest as a Cyber Elf... I saw the keys, the Baby Elves. One given to my clone, a clone created so that the people were unaware of my fall. The Guardians were right, Zero. Copy X was fighting for the humans, and they adored him. The Resistance is just a farce I carefully made once I could manipulate Reploids... including Ciel's double._"

"X..." Zero choked, raising his hands to try and grab X's wrist. He went right through him.

"_I knew a forced awakening would wipe your memory, and you're the only one with the power to take on my perfect copy. Not only that..._" Finally X ripped his hand from Zero's chest, and the blond screamed before falling to the ground in a limp crumple. "_The second Baby Elf was sealed inside you, acting as your primary energy source._"

In X's palm rested a tiny Cyber Elf, glowing pink. Behind X, Zero's fading sight could see the blue one had awakened, and it giggled happily upon seeing its sibling.

X glared down at Zero. "_You won't die from this, even I know that. Your backup will kick in, and it's good enough to let you survive til you find a replacement source. I don't want to kill you either, Zero... you were my best friend. I hope once I get free, you'll think long and hard on my next words: swear you'll make up your betrayal to me and fight at my side. Fight for my ideals again, Zero. In the end, nothing's changed... I'm purging the bastards from the world all over again. It just so happens its most of the rest of civilization._"

"X..." Zero whispered, his systems starting to fail. He tried to reach out, but his hand went through X's boot.

Both Baby Elves were now floating around X, giggling merrily. Zero's systems slowly shut off, and once he was fully offline, X looked to the keys with a friendly smile.

"_Do you miss your Mama?_" he asked. When the Baby Elves heartily answered, his smile grew. "_Come with me, I know where she is._"

The three Elves vanished, leaving Zero on the ground like a corpse.


End file.
